former foreign ministry official and former head of the self-defense forces are among the experts on the planning panel. they will meet later this week. abe tried to form a national security council the first time he was prime minister. lawmakers didn't deliberate his bill. council would help government officials deal with events like last month's hostage siege in algeria. they had a hard time getting details as that crisis unfolded. members of the planning panel will try to figure out how to help leaders get information more easily. >>> and now here's the weather forecast. >>> people in brazil are enjoying one of the highlights of the country's annual four-day long party. the samba contest is under way at rio de janeiro's carnival. ♪ things got started on sunday, 12 top class samba teams are taking part, each consisting of up to 4,000 members. they make lavish costumes and floats that pay tribute to everything from culture to painters to space travel. in some cases, the theme is up to interpretation. each team gets 80 minutes to perform. they're scored on dancing, costumes and uni